We see it all the time in lessons…..student is working on a single target, and they just can’t seem to break 2 in a row. They will load 2 shells, go through their routine, and break the first bird, then immediately whip the gun back to their hold point and call for the second target. Resulting in a miss…..this generates a groan, headshake and generally a weak excuse of some sort. The shooter then does the same thing on the next 2 targets(!). I then ask if they are doing their routine before each….and I generally get a blank stare.I suggest they just load one shell at a time for awhile. Suddenly they are breaking 2-3-4-5 birds in a row. By loading one shell, they find it easier to remember to do their pre-shot routine before each shot, and they are actually practicing not only their shooting technique, but also reinforcing their routine. I find that perfecting the pre-shot routine is probably to most important part of practice for the intermediate to advanced competitor.

Have youever noticed that top shooters look very calm and focused while shooting? Generally, they intentionally do the same things in preparation to call for the birds….and that routine looks the same, pair after pair, on purpose! Think about it: if you were watching someone, and suddenly they changed what they were doing before calling “PULL’, you can probably bank on the fact that they would miss one or both birds! Pre-shot routine is the heart and soul of the mental game, and as soon as a shooting competitor achieves some basic gun handling skills, they should start to understand and develop their own routine. Here is what I do, and serves as a basis for what I teach my students.First, let me say that there are 3(!) routines that I go through while shooting. Now, don't worry, it’s not as complicated as you may fear. You are probably already doing most of this, but maybe not quite in this order...Lets just make the assumption we are looking at a crossing target....We start withThe Planning Routine….I make my plan the same way every time. I only need to do this once (assuming all goes well)...at the beginning of each station. I watch the show pair, I decide where I see them the clearest, and what detail I can make out on each bird. Once I determine the aforementioned, I now know the kill zone of my target. With the method that I generally employ, I take the gun halfway back to the place where I first see the bird clearly, (right out of the trap if I can see it there) and this is my hold point. I briefly decide whether I am going to insert the gun on the bird, thus connecting with the bird, or at some point in front of the target. My feet are aligned to the kill zone (if we are shooting pairs, I do this all for the second target, including knowing where I am going to look for the second bird, and whether I need to move my feet, or favor one bird or the other with my stance). The plan is done....we should not need to revisit this...Pre-Shot Routinetime...Every time I address a target (or pair), I do my dead level best, to follow this routine- I align my stance according to my plan.....as I drop the first shell into the chamber, I VERY BRIEFLY visualize the detail on the first bird that I will bring into focus. I'll do the same for the second target if its a pair. I then gently/calmly close my gun and move the muzzle to my hold point (that I prescribed in my plan). I then make sure my eyes are back to where I will first see the bird, calm them down and make them still, ..(the overriding feeling at this point is that I am mentally ‘out there’ being anticipating the target, vs. being ‘back here in the stand’ thinking about the mechanics of the shoot)..and call for the bird. If at any point before I call for the target I catch myself thinking about other things, I STOP, and break the gun open and start over. ...after the shells are fired, we go through the last part…The Post Shot Routine….. This is critical. You simply ask yourself, whether you hit the bird or not, whether the target was in crisp focus when the gun went off? Depending on the honest answer you give yourself, you make adjustments as needed. Be sure you are settled and committed to your plan, and then start over again on your pre-shot routine for the next pair.

This all seems very long and drawn out, when you type it out....done properly, it takes seconds. The key is doing it ALL THE TIME....in practice and on RACE DAY. If you don’t do it during practice, you won’t be able to stick with it during a tournament. Most folks are screwing up by carrying the planning routine over into the pre-shot routine. They are still thinking about what they are going to do, when they call for the bird, which leads to trying to see the ‘plan’ develop during the shot. Which means measuring the shot. This is a bad thing. When the shooter calls for the bird, the only thing they should be doing from that point on is trying clearly to see the bird, and let your technique come out subconsciously. Frankly, most of my practice is basically practicing my routine, so that it is happening automatically without effort.This probably will lead to more questions, which is fine, but let this sink in first,..........be introspective and ask yourself if you are doing any of these things? and if so, in what order? The order is critical. Don’t gloss over that, just like you can’t do your routine ‘sometimes’..... You have to do it all the time. If you are just starting this process, start working on and implementing the planning routine, as it is certainly the most important. Get your planning routine in order and comfortable before moving to implementing a pre shot routine, and then in turn the post shot analysis.

**There is certainly more that we can talk about regarding this subject, but this is the nuts and bolts. We have developed this outline thru working with Henry Hopking of the Brain Training Company Get The Mental Edge | Mental Training for Athletes . We can certainly tweak things to work best for the individual shooter, but this framework will get you started in the right direction. If you want to delve deeper into the mental game for sporting clays, feel free to contact us!

When shooting sporting clays, most shooters feel constantly rushed. You see shooters swinging the gun wildly around the sky, searching for the second bird of the pair, whether it be on report or a simo pair. Frequently, you feel forced into shooting the second bird waaay past the ideal kill zone. Sometimes, though very rarely, not even able to get off a second shot. You only have so much time available before the clay hits the ground, so to score well in this game, we need to figure out how use our time wisely.With that said just try to remember this: When planning and shooting pairs of clays, you almost ALWAYS have more time than you think. What we need to do as be as efficient as possible in the ‘beginning’ and ‘middle’ of the shot, so we have the valuable time to kill each target. When I watch many shooters, they start moving the gun too late, then move the gun rapidly to engage the first bird, then look for their results, then search for the second bird, and slash the gun at it. Basically, because of poor efficiency and lack of planning, they are forced to shoot very quickly because they have wasted too much valuable time. So let’s break this down….First, the shooter needs to be EAGER to see the bird, and in almost all cases, start their hands in motion based on seeing the movement of the bird. Most shooting methods work best when we ‘move on the flash’ of the target. Most shooters wait to long to start the gun to meet the target. Simply put, it you wait longer, you just have to move faster. This makes everything ‘look’ and ‘feel’ faster than if you started earlier in the process. Then, engage the first bird. Let’s assume you are shooting a report pair. IMMEDIATELY after the gun goes off, get your eyes back to see the second. Don’t waste time admiring your break. This is critical and where most of the time is wasted shooting a pair of targets. This should happen so fast that in a report pair you ‘beat the trapper’, and be waiting for the bird to leave the second trap. In a true pair, during your planning of the shot, you should have figured out precisely where the second target will be in the air, when you fire at the first, so you know exactly where to look as soon as you finish the first bird. Side note, most shooters think about ‘where to take the gun for the second bird’ when they should be thinking about where to take their eyes to find the second bird. Find the bird with your eyes first, and the gun will generally take care of itself. This will all add up to more time to work the second bird.So to sum things up, most shooters shoot like this…..Late start- Quick shot- Slow transition- Quick shot. You should feel like this…..Quick start- Slow shot- FAST transition- Slow shot.Remember, if its a report pair, strive to beat the trapper to the second trap. If its a true pair, don’t grade your performance on the first bird, and know precisely where to immediately look for the second bird. Let’s do everything we can to have as much time with each bird as needed.

Today both Will and I had the most comprehensive eye exam we have ever had! We had the privilege of spending the day with the fabulous and gifted Dr Richard Colo in Suffield, Connecticut. What we learned was ALOT about eyes!

We learned that you can be all right eye dominant or all left eye dominant and yet there were also numerous degrees of dominance in between the two as well! Yes folks, there are “DEGREES OF DOMINANCE”. This has many facets of course and means nothing for some folks yet for others, well, they may need a tweak here and a tweak there.

To that note, there are degrees of occlusion which isn’t simply a spot on the lense, but the degrees of opaqueness of the spot! The choices of needing a patch to correct a visual shift can also be dependant on how your vision relates with your style of shooting; ie, pre-mounted, transitional or low gun. We learned there is a definitive time to decide to either blink or close the eye of a cross dominant shooter and when you should simply spot the lens of the master eye and shoot with both eyes open.

Today’s discussions and personal revelations have been particularly interesting for us and will be intensely studied and used as we come across eye issues and questions on a daily basis during our lessons. ​

I personally have worked long and hard to find a solution and final resolution to my cross dominance. Today, by combining my eye exam and watching me shoot Dr. Colo and I came to that solution. The answer for me was, as a predominately low gun shooter, to use tape to block the lense over my left eye and shoot with both eyes open. It also became very apparent that finding my visual hold point was as important, if not more so, than my physical hold point when calling for the bird.

Will and I cannot say enough about Dr. Colo generously spending his time (on his 51st wedding anniversary no less) with us and openly and happily sharing his wealth of knowledge with us. He has shared his time and his amazing and deep knowledge with many other instructors, top shooters, weekend clay warriors, and even bird hunters! For Will and I it was wonderful for us to be able to fill in the blanks of things we have observed over the years with our students. We thank him for his willingness to share his invaluable insights with us and other instructors. If we understand the nuances of the eyes and how they work with the brain and thus our eye/hand coordination, it can do nothing but help shooters get better. We left feeling extremely grateful there are such fabulous folks in our sport! Dr. Colo, thank you for all you do and share with so many of us in the shooting sports! Your enthusiasm and joy as you shared your time and gifts with us today was wonderful to experience and especially for this old gal! I “saw” things today in a whole different perspective, in more ways than one! Thank you for the best eye exam ever and insights to my way of seeing things and shooting things.....many puns intended! For more about Dr. Colo click here

THE POPULARITY of shotguns equipped with screw in choke tubes has transformed the “scattergun” world. Shooters can easily change choke tubes to suit their needs depending on the varying presentations. The transformation is so complete, it can be hard to find a current production shotgun that doesn’t have screw-in chokes.

However, there is no free lunch. To accommodate the screw-in choke, the profile of the barrel has to be a bit wider. That means the barrel is generally heavier with ‘screw-in chokes’ vs a ‘fixed choke’. This is especially true with an O/U (or even Side x Sides). When you have twice the added weight, and this addition weight is out on the end of the barrels, it’s easy to end up with a nose heavy gun. Another issue is spending time assessing which choke to use when you walk up to a station. A shooter can become easily distracted on the course by constantly accessing, and potentially second guessing, choke selection. Many potential good rounds of clays have been ruined by spending too much time twiddling chokes and not enough time planning for the presentation. I think we may have all been guilty of this a time or two.

As a result, many shooters, generally experienced sporting competitors, have come full circle and are seeking out O/U’s with fixed chokes. This can give the shooter a nimble handling gun, and lets the user to pay more attention to their plan when they don’t have their nose in their choke tube box! Since you have to have enough choke for the long/edgy presentations, most folks that shoot fixed, generally have their chokes set around modified/improved modified or even full choke.

This is perfect for those 35-45 yard crossers, but admittedly, a bit much for 20 yard rabbits and short window birds. Since you can’t change your chokes in your new fixed choke gun, what can you do? Well the first answer is to just bear down and make smoke balls, and that is exactly what most folks do, most of the time. BUT, if you need a bit of help, you can also change shells. Since I started shooting my K80 Parcours, with fixed Improved Modified chokes in both barrels, I decided to do a bit of pattern testing, experimenting with different shells.

My standard shell is the FIOCCHI Nickel Plated Crusher, which is a one ounce of high quality nickel plated 7.5’s at 1300 fps. This load is a high performance long range target killer proven to perform well in my barrels. What I was looking for was a load that would help be with close and fast presentations. If its close and slow (meaning I have plenty of time), I have no problem using my regular shells and tight chokes...but if I have little time, and the target is close, it would be nice to have a big, evenly distributed pattern, like you normally get with a cylinder or skeet choke.

First, using my fixed improved modified choked barrels, I tested a typical “Skeet Load” of dead soft #9 shot. While there were certainly more flyers in the pattern, I did not see a noticeable, dependable enlargement in the pattern compared to my standard load. I’m sure the #9 loads would be an advantage for close targets when using a more open cylinder or skeet choke, as the increased number of pellets would help fill up the larger pattern, but thru my tight chokes, there was not a noticeable advantage. At 20 yards, my Nickel Crusher #7.5’s gave a consistent pattern of 15”, and the #9 shot gave a 17” pattern. A little bigger, but not dramatically bigger.

Next I tested the FIOCCHI Interceptor Spreader Load. This was a one ounce load of #8’s, also at 1300 fps, but loaded with a special wad to open the pattern much faster. It is designed to provide a large, evenly distributed pattern. At 20 yards, this shell, thru my same improved modified fixed choke, gave a 30”(!) pattern. Basically double the size of my standard load thru the same barrel/choke. I pattern tested this shell for 10 shots, and confirmed that it is a reliable performer. Large, even patterns, time and time again. I also shot a normal shell, my regular Crusher, thru a cylinder choked gun, and it gave a approximate 30” pattern.

​So by keeping some FIOCCHI Interceptors in my range bag, I can get cylinder choke performance out of my improved modified choked gun, by simply changing shells. I get the tight patterning, dynamic handling shotgun I want, but can easily employ a wide pattern for close-fast-short window birds by changing shells.

That folks is why we suggest if you have a fixed choke gun, go out and test some FIOCCHI Spreaders for yourself and you might just like what you see, garnish some confidence in the performance of these spreader loads on your next outing or competition and really smoke some close clays!

GUN FITTING: WHAT IT IS, WHAT IT ISN'T , AND THE GREAT DIVIDENDS IT CAN PAY!

Here at FSS, Elizabeth and I help lots of students with their gun fit. It is always interesting, and as a general rule, very satisfying to us as instructors and fitters. It is, however, frequently not what the student expects.

Often it is a simple tweak that comes about during their shooting lesson. We see that we could make their gun work better for them with some relatively simple changes. Adjusting their stock height or cast with strips of moleskin, maybe changing their length of pull (LOP) by some simple means, or a change in their pitch by adding washers under the top or bottom of the recoil pad, etc. Sometimes they have adjustable combs or butt stocks, but generally we are making changes in a ‘field expedient’ manner, just to show the small changes make significant differences in the fit and feel of their gun, and then we suggest a gunsmith come behind us and make the changes permanent. Generally they are AMAZED at how simple it all is.

Then there are custom fitted stocks, built from the ground up specifically for a shooter, their style of shooting and their shooting needs . This is where, frequently, students have a different notion of what is involved in ‘being fitted’ for these stocks. They think that they will be ‘measured up’, kind of akin to being measured by a tailor for a new suit. While your body shape and size has quite a bit to do with the dimensions you would need in a shotgun stock, how you handle the gun as a huge impact on your ‘fit’ as well. This issue is further compounded if the shooter is inconsistent in how they handle the gun. If they mount the gun differently shot to shot, which mount does the fitter adjust the gun for? Needless to say, these are the times we have to work with the student on their technique first, to get them handling the gun correctly, and in a consistent manor. Often, the shooter’s gun fits much better after they clean up their gun handling. Saves money and breaks more targets! Yaaayyyy! Who doesn't like that?

While we work with try guns* in some instances, we greatly prefer to work with the gun that the shooter wants fit to them. Imagine if you have a try gun built around a flat rib 28” field gun, and a shooter wants to be fit for a 32” Kreighoff Pro Sporter, there will be many differences in handling alone that will cause problems. Frequently, we can work with the original stock, modify it to fit, then measure the final dimensions to give to your stockmaker. The BEST answer is to work with your stock maker and shooting coach to make a ‘pattern stock’. This is a stock built to suit you, out of an oversized "plain jane" inexpensive piece of walnut. Sometimes it will need to be modified with the automotive body compound, commonly known as Bondo, and filed down to shape. This gives the fitter the option of dramatically changing your stock shape to fit your body and style. The result? A stock you can shoot for months, making sure you have the dimensions that YOU like and that you have confidence in and using it over a period of time and shooting conditions. Then, after you and the fitter are satisfied, the stock maker can use your pattern stock to duplicate a stock with a more suitable and attractive piece of wood. Add a nice checkering pattern, and beautiful finish and you are done!​

I have worked thru this process with different stock makers over the years. Originally with Bob James. He did amazing work, and taught me much of what I know about stocks and gun fit. Bob is now retired, but I still have the custom stocks he made me that fit wonderfully and are still going strong! Now, we work with Jim Greenwood of Greenwood Custom Stocks from Augusta, KS. Jim has built me a couple of stocks, and they have been fantastic. Jim is not only a talented gun fitter but a consummate craftsman. Add the fact that he is also a Master Class sporting clays competitor who certainly knows what is needed in excellent gun fitting and that is gun fitting “tailor-made” to your style of shooting. In addition to careful attention to most areas of your fit, Jim spends more time on the grip, considering both hands, than anyone I’ve worked with. It always astounds me how much subtle and small changes in this area can improve gun handling for the shooter. Recently, while working with a new student, my first observation was that he had a very awkward gun mount, especially from the “FITASC” ready position. It turned out that the problem was 90% in the grip area of his firing hand. After his pattern stock was made, he immediately improved, and he could then begin learning to mount the gun properly for the game.

We have a full fitting facility here at the Fennell Shooting School. We work on gun fit with our students daily as part of their lessons. We are also planning on hosting Jim Greenwood here in South Carolina a couple of times a year to offer his advance fitting with pattern stocks. Using data we observe from the pattern plate, shooting clays, and at times the try gun, our students go home with a great new confidence in their gun fit, and a pattern stock to use until they are certain the fit is perfect for them! Let us know when you want us to make your job easier on the course!​Ready...PULL​Will and Elizabeth Fennell

*A ‘Try gun’ is a shotgun with a stock that is capable of adjusting for length, cast, height, grip shape, pitch, etc. Fitters can use this tool to fit a gun to a student, then measure the results to determine the student’s needs. Though try guns are very effective, the student must also be observed shooting to see how they handle a gun and to their style of shooting.

​From the home of sporting clays, the UK……our friend Henry Hopking, is coming back to FSS to help us all with our mental game! Henry has been providing mental training almost 20 years. Cory Kruse and I were teaching and shooting in southern England in the fall of 2005, when we first worked with him. We both knew we had found a great asset to our game. Soon thereafter, Henry started periodically coming to the US to train shooters on this side of the pond. We are proud to say that FSS is the official home training center for Henry and his GetTheMentalEdge training in North America. For the last 3 years FSS has been hosting Henry here twice a year, spring and fall, to work with shooters from all over the US.

While here training with Henry, you have the chance to work with FSS to reinforce what you have learned on the mental side, as you challenge yourself with any type of sporting presentation. Having the ability to combine mental AND physical training can provide amazing results. By showing you how your physical game and your mental game interact to support each other, we can help you achieve your goals.

Henry will be here March 5th thru the 16th. Feel free to contact us here at FSS for more information. You can also contact Henry directly thru his website at https://getthementaledge.com/usa/ .

For years I have taken some heat for not competing! The age old argument of how can you teach if you don’t compete is one I have heard said about me for years. I really not paid a lot of attention to because quite frankly that is horse crap and most of us know that. But because of those comments and criticisms about that in the past I firmly planted my heels several years ago to avoid shooting for score. I love to shoot but have never had that competitive bone anyhow. I still really don’t care too much about the numbers except for I know that when I do shoot there will be some folks I know who will be watching intently to see how Elizabeth Lanier Fennell, NSCA Level III instructor, performs.

For the last 2.5 years I have travelled with my now husband on the competitive circuit. I have watched Will and other friends shoot and loved seeing all the courses and all the targets. I have shot very little on “courses” over the last 6 years as I have been so busy with other life things but I have shot birds and lots of clays at private locations, and with the GRITS. Certainly not enough to practice up my up my own personal game. I spent almost 20 months working to shoot left handed and went back to my right side (a whole other article in itself) further confusing myself. And then I did something really out of character in September. I got conned into shooting my first ever FITASC event at the Southeast Regionals no less. I was so nervous I thought I would puke or pass out, whichever came first. To my great shock, neither happened and I actually had fun!

So then I did something really crazy. I got talked into shooting the Nationals by a good friend, Linda Henson and I thought, what the heck? I have nothing to lose…’cept my butt apparently, which I did! Good grief, I was so nervous I totally blew my first four stations on each course of the Main Event. I when I say blew it, I sincerely blew it. Down about 23 targets each time, I then shot like I could care less and did much better. There was still no road to recovery after the abysmal start on each course of the Main and that was that. Since I had completely botched the main event I decided to shoot the Krieghoff Cup for fun because I had already proved how bad I could shoot. After a slow start on the first couple of stations, I rallied, just enjoyed it and pulled out a respectable score for someone who had so much ground to make up (and egg to wipe off face)!

What did I learn? That this competitive stuff is all about mental performance and practice. My hat is off to all those who get out there and compete on a regular basis because though they make it look easy, it “ain’t”! I have never downplayed that at all, I just realize it a little more! All I have ever done is go out there, laugh, giggle and not focus too much in the box. My passion is wing shooting and if you miss a bird it really doesn’t count, because another will come. Naturally I hit a lot more because I am not shooting “not to miss”. In other words, I am not trying to make it perfect. I am looking at the bird and the rest just happens. I am not checking the bird barrel relationship, not thinking of the line, not thinking about a big fat doughnut on my score card, I am just shooting.

I found in the Main Event is I was so nervous about performing because I was an instructor, thinking everyone will think I should be able to hit everything, and as it went, I ultimately employed nothing, nada, zero about what I teach! Sounds weird, right? Not so much. It has been a wonderful learning curve for me in managing the mental game and stressing my own pre-shot planning. I talk about it almost every single day and never have I thought about it more than when teaching but I thought about it very little while shooting myself! I thought a lot about nothing but screwing up and I did….I measured a lot, and focused very little on the target or better said, the little stuff on the target. It gave me an excellent perspective on what goes through other shooters minds and has allowed me to be able to better help my students and manage performance anxiety. This happens to all shooters, competitive clay shooters, competitive bird shooters and just those of us who enjoy shooting for nothing but fun. Some folks were born to compete, others not so much. Some of us have to work much harder at it than others.

What do I want to do now? I want to shoot with my husband and friends at these shoots, just trying to remain focused on what is in front of me vs. the “background” noise in my own mind and not worry so about who is judging my teaching ability compared to my posted scores at shoots. I have spent years developing my teaching style and am as passionate about that and my students as anyone out there. Now comes the time for me to enjoy just shooting courses and COMPETITIONS and not worry so much about proving anything except how much I enjoy the game.

Elizabeth and I got to enjoy a rare practice round of clays yesterday, along with a long time student, top competitor and friend. We so rarely get a chance to visit the local club and 'be a regular shooter', and with the frigid temps, our lessons had cancelled for the day, so off to Rocky Creek Sporting Clays we went! I swear, every round of clays ends up being a learning experience.

As much as we teach that the shooter should be more concerned with 'why' they miss a target, than 'where' they miss, it is sooo very easy to fall into that trap. Fairly early in the round we ran into a tough presentation, and I couldn't reliably break the second bird. The discussion immediately turned to where I was place the shot......I was thinking about it, as were the others around me....it infected us all! After a short break, and mental 're-organization' I realized I was not allowing myself to connect with the second bird visually before delivering the shot, and it was GETTING WORSE because I was obsessing with where I was shooting, which makes it even harder to focus on the bird! I ran my routine, emphasizing the part of the bird that I had to have in focus on each target, and everything started working just fine. XX-XX-XX-XX.

Hello to all you shooting friends out there!It has been a long time since I have written anything and honestly I will have to say that I have never actually written a “Blog” post before.It seems as a New Year is upon us there is no time like the present to start something “new” and try this blogging stuff…..

Bring on 2018!The last year was full of changes for me.First big change of 2017 was that someone came and wanted to buy my house we had been in for three years.It was in a very trendy neighborhood in Richmond, Virginia with excellent public schools and close proxemics to the private schools in the area.I had decided with all the travel I was doing with work and dating Will that a townhouse would be a much better choice anyhow.I accepted the offer and commenced to looking for townhouses in Richmond.What I did not realize was that I was about to change not only my marital status but my state of residency as well.Shortly into my search Will proposed, we ran off and got married and of course that changed the momentum and led me to South Carolina.

The next big change for me was kind of a natural progression of sorts.After almost 10 years doing business as Lanier Shooting Sports I was at another crossroads.Keep our businesses separate or merge them.After great deliberation, we opted to merge them and formed Fennell Shooting School.This was not an easy choice for me as I had worked very hard to create a business model and a reputation in the industry as Lanier Shooting Sports.Though it was not an easy decision to move my residence to South Carolina AND let go of my individual business identity, I am thrilled to be challenged to build a better business with the two of us in it together.We share common values and teaching philosophies, really value our clients and students and are looking to offer far more than just individual lessons.

At Fennell Shooting School we are wanting to create individual experiences with lessons and also offer anything form corporate entertainment to family “get (shooting) togethers”. We have the facilities and ability to create anything from beginner lessons to wing shooting to FITASC layouts and more.With two shooting fields, a collective 19 traps in South Carolina, several on lifts, and a “Claybot” on each of our two fields, we have great target flexibility, including the ability to throw driven clay birds.We also have a small pavilion, several fire pits for those colder days or just plain ambiance in the late afternoons, a lounge and a shotgun shop.We believe your experiences should be comfortable, happy and memorable!

The hardest part?Letting folks know I am in South Carolina!We made a decision to continue to maintain the Virginia teaching business, formally known as Lanier Shooting Sports, to remain faithful to the many wonderful students and friends we have in Virginia. When I am availablein Virginia I am sold out most of the time. Now to develop that reputation and a new wonderful clientele in South Carolina! I realize this will be a work in progress and I certainly am keeping myself busy by continuing to develop our facility in the mean time.I am also working to builda Southern Carolina GRITS chapter, encouraging more women to get out and shoot for the sheer fun of it!

Though the last 6 years of my life were in a bit of a conundrum, putting it lightly, I am feeling a wonderful sense of purpose and happiness in our new venture/adventures together.Fennell Shooting School is growing and looking better by the day.When I sit back and think that less than one year ago most of it was deeply wooded and unusable for our purposes, I now smile and know in my heart anything is possible if you just believe in it and work hard for it!

I have seen lots of talented instructions but am always amazed at Will and his genuine passion for teaching and his ability to convey and deliver.I am just so happy we can share this joy together and with those we teach.It goes without saying that we both have so much respect for our teaching peers and so happy we are a part of the teaching and shooting community!With more than 5 million shooters in the USA, we have lots of opportunities to help grow this sport!

So, in summation I guess I can say “out with the old, in with the new!”We are ready for 2018!